Apple may add 1080p movies to iTunes store

Currently, the highest quality video Apple offers on iTunes tops out at 720p. And as AppleInsider notes, Apple CEO Steve Jobs isn’t keen on adopting support for Blu-ray on the company’s Mac computers. The only way for consumers to obtain the 1080p video quality is to use an alternative service or go the illegal route.

AppleInsider also reports that a handful of feature films have been submitted to the iTunes store that have documentation for an optional 1080p resolution, according to unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The same sources indicated that there are rumors within Apple of a new version of the Apple TV streaming set-top device. The new version would be capable of 1080p resolution streams with the addition of Apple’s new A5 processor chip. The current Apple TV device converts all 1080p resolution videos into 720p, since it doesn’t have enough power to stream the video consistently, according to the report.

The hold up on offering the 1080p through iTunes has very little to do with keeping costs down or advancing technology. According to sources in the report, the largest problem is on the consumer level. Apple’s main concern is poor internet speeds in the U.S. that would hinder its ability to sell the highest resolution videos.

Consumers can expect to begin seeing higher-definition videos appear on iTunes in September or October 2011, the report states.